California Vintage

An Italian Custom Bike for the U.S. Police.
Thirty-seven years have gone by, and the Moto Guzzi California continues to play a seminal role in the collective imagination of motorcyclists throughout the world. In 1971 when the first California was introduced, the custom/cruiser market was divided into the original U.S. models and only a few imitators from the East.

Moto Guzzi introduced a motorcycle with a strong personality based on the tried and tested frame of the V7 Special and the legendary 90 degree V-twin engine with a capacity of 757 cubic centimeters. A winning combination which won international success, not least because it proposed a new way of motorcycling, in contrast to the exaggerated quest for performance. On a Guzzi California, you travelled – and you travel – in total relaxation. The seat, as comfortable as an armchair, enables you to enjoy the landscape protected from the wind sheltered by a large windshield, fitted as standard equipment together with the the generous saddlebags; a clear sign of its vocation for travel.

These qualities enabled the V7 California to triumphantly cross the ocean where it was adopted first by the L.A.P.D. (Los Angeles Police Department), California Highway Patrol and subsequently by other U.S. states. The rest is history – and legend. A familiar presence in films and advertisements, the California has every right to be considered as one of those industrial design objects which have left their mark on our history.

Its two legendary wheels have never stopped – and neither has its evolution. Year after year, the look and technology has been updated, without altering its original personality and spirit. Now, 37 years after its birth, Moto Guzzi has decided to pay tribute to this extraordinary model thru the exclusive Vintage version, dedicated to those who want to go on dreaming.